Senate Majority Leader John Thune asserted that Democratic leaders are trapped in place by demands from progressive special interest groups, leaving them unable to pivot amid the ongoing shutdown.
Thune claimed several Democrats privately acknowledge the strategy is failing and are seeking a pathway out, but said they’re constrained by external expectations. His remarks placed blame on those ideological factions for preventing compromise.
The standoff now hinges on whether moderates break ranks or whether pressure mounts enough to shift the impasse.